Warning: session_start() [function.session-start]: open(/home/content/78/4549178/tmp/sess_jqgddmcqe7cmde4fn1jgq88hi3, O_RDWR) failed: No such file or directory (2) in /home/content/78/4549178/html/wp-content/plugins/session-manager/includes/sm_functions.include.php on line 510

Warning: session_start() [function.session-start]: Cannot send session cookie - headers already sent by (output started at /home/content/78/4549178/html/wp-content/plugins/session-manager/includes/sm_functions.include.php:510) in /home/content/78/4549178/html/wp-content/plugins/session-manager/includes/sm_functions.include.php on line 510

Posts Tagged ‘how to keep birds away’

Large birds, such as pigeons and gulls, are notorious for landing on the ledges of buildings causing hazardous situations as well as structural damage and a very unpleasant visual appearance. Bird control is necessary to keep large birds away.

There are huge risks associated with pest birds on buildings and ledges. Bird droppings are acidic and can cause structural damage by eating through paint, some roofing materials and fabrics resulting in massive spending on restoration and/or complete replacement. Health hazards associated with pest birds pooping on and around buildings are serious since birds carry a multitude of diseases that are easily spread when droppings dry and form a dust that is sucked through AC units and then inhaled. And of course legal issues arise when slip and fall incidents occur on your premises due to messy bird droppings.

How do you get rid of birds on your buildings and ledges? Bird Spikes! Bird•B•Gone has top class bird spikes that will keep birds away. Bird spikes come in polycarbonate (plastic) or stainless steel and are the ultimate solution to getting rid of birds on buildings and ledges. The bird spikes are durable, effective and long lasting with a five year guaranty on the polycarbonate bird spikes and a 10 year guarantee on the stainless steel bird spikes. Bird•B•Gone’s patented technology on its stainless steel bird spikes make them superior to any spike on the market. Bird spikes are available in a variety of sizes (and colors in the plastic bird spikes) to suit your bird control needs.

Installing bird spikes will save your company time and money by ensuring birds stay off of your buildings and ledges. Installation is easy as bird spikes can either be glued down with polyurethane adhesive or nailed down. Bird•B•Gone also offers a free training class to guide installers through the process and if you don’t have your own installation crew, Bird•B•Gone can connect you with professional installers in your area.

Our online bird spike comparison chart or our team of specialists will help you determine which bird spikes are best for your bird problem. Keep pest birds away from your ledges!
We proudly make all of our bird spikes in the USA.

A sign for pharmaceutical compounding company NECC, a producer of the steroid methylprednisolone acetate, is seen in Framingham, Massachusetts. (Image credit: Jessica Rinaldi, Reuters)

(Reuters) – U.S. health inspectors found bugs, a flying bird and other unsterile conditions at Ameridose LLC, an affiliate of the Massachusetts compounding pharmacy at the heart of the deadly meningitis outbreak.

Westborough, Massachusetts-based Ameridose was closed on October 10 to allow state and federal investigators to inspect its facilities. On Monday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released the results of its investigation.

The agency’s report details a list of quality control failures at Ameridose, including a failure to test the potency of its products, a failure to properly classify patient complaints and the use of “vague, canned language” when describing negative patient reactions to its drugs.

The company, an affiliate of the New England Compounding Center, said it is in the process of preparing a full response to the FDA.

“Ameridose’s history shows clearly that we have not had any instance of contaminated products over the course of the past six years, which covers the manufacture and shipment of 70 million units of product,” the company said in a statement. “Ameridose is committed to addressing all observations in order to enhance our existing systems.”

The investigation of Ameridose follows the closure of the NECC, which distributed thousands of vials of a steroid linked to an outbreak of fungal meningitis that has hit 19 states and claimed 32 lives.

Inspectors found that Ameridose failed to investigate customer complaints related to drug potency, under-filled products and syringe volumes. It also failed to classify “patient response” complaints as “adverse events.”

Several such complains referred to the drug oxytocin, used to induce labor in childbirth. One referred to “fetal distress and hyper stimulated uterus.” Another customer called to report an increase in post-partum hemorrhaging. Another reported that a patient had shortness of breath and that “the throat was closing.”

A complaint related to the painkiller fentanyl noted that the patient was “oversedated” and “unresponsive.” Another patient given the blood-thinner heparin experienced a “life-threatening” negative reaction.

Inspectors said buildings used to make, process, pack and hold the drugs were not maintained in a good state of repair. The firm failed to perform a microbiological assessment after “penetrating leaks” were found in a building and water dripping above the clean room.

“During the inspection we observed totes placed in the location of the penetrating leaks containing water,” the inspection report noted. “There is no documented evidence that the leaks were permanently corrected.”

Walls were cracked, corroded and covered with what appeared to be adhesive material in a room where sterile drugs are prepared, the report noted.

Equipment and utensils were not cleaned or sanitized at appropriate intervals to prevent contamination that could alter the safety, identity, quality or purity of the drugs, according to the report.

Certain metal surfaces “were observed to contain what appeared to be brownish structures, atypical in shape,” the report noted.

Moreover, the buildings used “are not free of infestation by rodents, birds, insects and other vermin,” the report said.

Specifically, insects were located in an area where finished sterile product is packaged and stored. The insects were also located within three to 10 feet of the controlled area where sterile products are manufactured.

At least one bird was observed flying in an area where sterile finished product is packaged and stored.

On Friday, Ameridose, which has the same owners as NECC, said it would lay off about 90 percent of its work force. About 650 employees at Ameridose will be affected, as well as 140 employees at Medical Sales Management, a company that provides sales, technology and human resources support to Ameridose.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – A Denver-based oil company has pleaded guilty to violating federal law in the deaths of migratory birds in fluid pits at the company’s oil and gas drilling facilities in Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska and has been fined $22,500.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Montana said SM Energy Co. pleaded guilty Wednesday one misdemeanor count of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in each state. U.S. Magistrate Carolyn Ostby also placed the company on probation for a year and ordered it to make a $7,500 payment to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

The case dates back to 2005, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service documented deaths of a dozen migratory birds at uncovered open fluid pits at Nance Petroleum sites in Wyoming. Nance later become an SM Energy subsidiary.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Wednesday announced that the bird flu having broken out four months ago in the western Jalisco state has been “totally controlled.”

“After 68 days with no new cases reported, we are entering the stage of eradication” of the H7N3 virus, Calderon said at the presidential residence.

Mexico will recover very soon from the highly dangerous avian influenza, he said, stressing that the control of this disease is the result of “great effort of the government and producers.”

Among the measures, he said the culling of over 22 million chickens, the establishment of a sanitary cordon and the development of an “effective vaccine against the disease, are crucial to control the virus quickly and decisively.”

In the past months, “around 140 million doses of vaccine have been applied, and we also have a sufficient reserve bank to use if necessary,” the president said.

Thanks to efforts to restore the productive capacity of the farming, Mexico is expected to recover in November the number of laying hens to the level prior to the outbreak of the avian influenza, he said.

Calderon noted that the goal now is to stimulate the creation of new chicken producers’ centers in other parts of Mexico to diversify regional egg production and prevent such an impact in the future. However, Jaime Crivelli, president of the National Poultry Union, criticized the government for minimizing the impact of the bird flu on egg production.

As a response, Calderon said his government acted in time, because otherwise the damage to egg production would have been irreversible in his country, the fifth largest producer in the world and the largest per capita egg consumer.

He announced a support of $16.6 million (215 million pesos)in normalizing egg production and credits for those who want to engage in egg production.

The president noted that so far 65 percent of egg production has been restored. Besides, the country has imported nearly 14,000 tons of eggs, mainly from the United States, to meet demand.

Proposals to install pigeon-guarding systems have been put forward for the Bridewell and Shirehall, following a successful application for a similar idea at Norwich Castle. Mess on the pavement outside the Shirehall, in Market Avenue, below where the pigeons roost, affects access to the building for visitors according to planning documents from the Norfolk museums service.

The papers add that the droppings are also causing white staining to the stonework, which cleaning is “unlikely to remove”, as well as health and safety issues. At the Bridewell, the documents state the volume of pigeon waste creates a risk of “slipping on wet foul”.

Measures to deter pigeons from sills and ledges in the museum’s central courtyard were installed during a recent £1.5m refurbishment. But the plans reveal these are ineffective in many areas.

There are concerns at both sites that the mess stops workers being able to reach and clean out gutters and pipes to stop them getting blocked. There is a risk water could seep into the walls and damage the buildings’ walls if these are not unblocked.

Posts with thin wire on them are proposed for both buildings. These aim to stop pigeons from being able to roost or perch.

Museum officials are also bidding for cash to fund a similar defence system at Norwich Castle after the city council approved the plan. It is hoped these measures will protect the 11th century structure from further damage. The post and wire system was trialled and also checked by English Heritage before permission was granted, to try and ensure it will not ruin the appearance of the castle.

Stuart Garner, operations manager for Norwich museums, said: “We’ve had the pilot and we all agreed on the best way forward with English Heritage. We’ve got the majority of listed-building consent. Now, it’s preparing the documents for the funding.”

Mr Garner said it was Norfolk County Council’s responsibility to look after the attractions, but the city council has agreed to contribute 30pc toward the costs of pigeon-proofing them. No cost figures have yet to be made public.

Dr Will Fletcher, English Heritage’s inspector of ancient monuments in Norfolk, said it is difficult trying to protect historic buildings from pigeons.

But he said it involved pinpointing the ideal roosting locations and then installing new equipment without damaging the fabric of the building while ensuring it is “sympathetic” to its appearance.

Dr Fletcher said of the Norwich Castle plans: “It can all be taken away without damaging the fabric and leaving the castle intact.

“We will come back six to eight months or a year later down the line to see how effective it’s been.

“We are aware of the fact pigeons can be a problem elsewhere. We’ve talked about the issues, falconry and other options around the town but it pushes it from one place to another.

“There will be an ongoing issue and it’s really something for the people of Norwich to get involved in and we welcome their views.”

You have birds. Whether its pigeons roosting on window sills or gulls nesting near rooftop A.C. units, you know the are creating a problem that must be addressed.

Where Do You Start?
Many facilities pay for landscaping, window washing and other general services to help maintain the appearance and functionality of a building. But what about bird control? The first step is acknowledging the potential hazards birds and bird droppings can create.

Bruce Donoho, Owner of Bird•B•Gone, Inc., a U.S. manufacturer of bird control products, says birds can cause considerable problems for buildings. “The build up of bird droppings and nesting materials can pose a health risk for building tenants, especially if found near ventilation systems. Bird droppings carry disease and those most susceptible are people with compromised immune systems which include the young, elderly, and those with chronic illness. Bird droppings can also corrode building materials and machinery, ruin stored product and cost a business thousands of dollars every year for clean-up.”(more…)